When I think of leaders like Mandela, Gandhi and King the attributes of being grounded and humble leaders come into mind. These leaders of nations and movements led significant change for the betterment of their peoples.

In being humble you learn by being patient and listening and when you are grounded, it is easier to challenge yourself taking on new experiences while being calm and at peace. These attributes are not only the winners for the leaders of nations, but are similarly found in the great leaders in business and the wider community.

The greatest challenge of today is climate change which threatens our very existence on this planet. By “recognizing our earth roots, and the earth roots of everyone else, knowing that we are not, in essence, greater than, lesser than, or even separate from, the rest of life” we can start to heal this planet and lead a path for a sustainable future.

In “This Changes Everything” Naomi Klein describes the urgency for leadership to respond to the challenges of climate change. I believe she is identifying the need for grounded and humble leaders who really care about the future and who are not captured by the carbon based economy interest groups. Finding such leaders sounds like an achievable quest or will they simply emerge?

We need grounded and humble leaders to put up their hands to lead change whether it is for popular movements on climate change or leading positive changes in corporations, communities and nations to bring about a more compassionate and caring world.